‘What’s the point of imprisoning more people if rehabilitation is no longer an option?’: Reimagining Swedish penality in an era of carceral expansion
Magnusson, I. (2025). ‘What’s the point of imprisoning more people if rehabilitation is no longer an option?’: Reimagining Swedish penality in an era of carceral expansion. (Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City St George’s, University of London)
Abstract
Despite internal contestation, the renown of Scandinavian penal exceptionalism has earned the Swedish prison system much admiration. In contrast to its positioning as an exemplar of effective and humane rehabilitation, recent sociopolitical forces have prompted the growth of punitive approaches that present a break from previous traditions. Driven by cultural narratives and a disproportionate rise in organised crime, Sweden’s evolving society appears beset by various social divisions that have fuelled a reconceptualisation of punishment. The country is undergoing a historic carceral expansion with a correctional population projected to increase severalfold. Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this research analyses Sweden’s penal trajectory using interviews with 35 Swedish Prison and Probation Service (SPPS) employees and non-affiliated community professionals. The aims are threefold: (1) to examine the perception of Sweden’s punitive reorientation within the framework of social marginality and political discourse; (2) to explore the penal expansion’s operational consequences for the Swedish Prison and Probation Service; and (3) to assess the carceral regime’s ability to maintain its rehabilitative agenda. The participants reveal a shifting penal landscape with expansive reconfigurations. An operational crisis has appeared that undermines the authority’s treatment ambitions and compromises core tenets of Swedish penality. The research indicates that an ideological misalignment is emerging and underscores the demand for policy reconsiderations to prevent further erosion of Sweden’s rehabilitative carceral philosophy. Ultimately, the research contributes to criminological debates about penal practices and the relationship between punishment and broader sociopolitical contexts.
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